The moisture content of the rape must be low enough after three or four days of dry weather to begin the harvest, the first job for the combines of this harvest season. This is just a short walk from my cottage, the noise alerted me to the fact that they had started, so off I went with camera gear in hand. All shots with a Panasonic G1, post processed in Bibble Pro 5.

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At the bottom of the field facing a 250 foot climb to the top.
15mm, f/4.5 Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar

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Closer shot at the bottom of the field
45mm, f/2.8 Leica DG Macro-Elmarit

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At the top corner of the field where no rape grew in a small area, possibly washed out back in the very early spring, a fine crop of poppies grew here though.
45mm, f/2.8 Leica DG Macro-Elmarit

Barrie, I'm sorry that I'd missed these earlier - must have been during one of my fallow periods. ;-) As far as I know, we don't have rapeseed in this country, but I know from photographs how gorgeous they are when in flower. Your black and white images give me the structure much better than color would and I appreciate seeing the insides of the seedpod very much, too.

Barrie, I'm sorry that I'd missed these earlier - must have been during one of my fallow periods. ;-) As far as I know, we don't have rapeseed in this country, but I know from photographs how gorgeous they are when in flower. Your black and white images give me the structure much better than color would and I appreciate seeing the insides of the seedpod very much, too.

Nice images. Takes me back to the time when I freelanced for Progressive Farmer, a southern U.S. ag mag. In those days it was wheat and soybeans being combined (not at the same time, of course).

Wickipedia: "Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada, the United States, Australia, China and India." & "Canola is a trademark for a hybrid variety of rape initially bred in Canada."

This foul crop, which rightly fell from grace in the medieval period, is a miserable curse on the English countryside, and I would VERY MUCH like to see it banned entirely. However, with the utter stupidities and flagrant abuses of the European 'Common Agricultural Policy' it continues to exert greater and greater influence on the English countryside. It has no real use and is an artificial 'product' with no market, thus farmers are paid to produce it by subsidy,...a process of utter stupidity and exploitation. To make maters worse there is currently a food shortage world-wide!!!! Amazingly, most is crushed for the horrible oil which they have to look for ways to use!

Rape was very aptly named by our medieval forebears as it consumes the countryside without mercy,.....it poisons the land and farm animals, spreads without control, hybridises otehr crops and plantlife, destroys habitats and kills small mammals without mercy. In addition it's vile pollen has helped to decimate the bee population, drifts across towns and cities 'helping' with the rising levels of asthma, allergy, rhinitis and emphysyma.......

......It even attacks the paintwork of our cars and it's vile smell after rain is an utter misery to country and city dwellers alike.

This foul crop, which rightly fell from grace in the medieval period, is a miserable curse on the English countryside, and I would VERY MUCH like to see it banned entirely. However, with the utter stupidities and flagrant abuses of the European 'Common Agricultural Policy' it continues to exert greater and greater influence on the English countryside. It has no real use and is an artificial 'product' with no market, thus farmers are paid to produce it by subsidy,...a process of utter stupidity and exploitation. To make maters worse there is currently a food shortage world-wide!!!! Amazingly, most is crushed for the horrible oil which they have to look for ways to use!

Rape was very aptly named by our medieval forebears as it consumes the countryside without mercy,.....it poisons the land and farm animals, spreads without control, hybridises otehr crops and plantlife, destroys habitats and kills small mammals without mercy. In addition it's vile pollen has helped to decimate the bee population, drifts across towns and cities 'helping' with the rising levels of asthma, allergy, rhinitis and emphysyma.......

......It even attacks the paintwork of our cars and it's vile smell after rain is an utter misery to country and city dwellers alike.

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Well I wasn't attempting to glorify it, just document some of the process in harvesting the crop. There are also crops of wheat and oats to be harvested soon on the same farm, perhaps some shots of that work underway will meet with your approval.

Hi Barrie, a nice series of pictures, I liked the textures and shapes in the pod picture the best.

I won't get into the politics of industrial farming, no matter what the crop, it all has a detrimental impact on the natural wildlife and fauna in the area, but I have to say I quite like the yellow flowers pitched against the blue sky in the early summer.

Hi Barrie, a nice series of pictures, I liked the textures and shapes in the pod picture the best.

I won't get into the politics of industrial farming, no matter what the crop, it all has a detrimental impact on the natural wildlife and fauna in the area, but I have to say I quite like the yellow flowers pitched against the blue sky in the early summer.

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Thank you Karen. These fields were all cider apple orchards when my 90 year old neighbour born and bred in the village was a young man living here, as a life long naturalist I would much prefer the land to still be used in that way, but sadly it isn't.

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